NEW FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Historically much of the debate about the environment and development has been conducted as a series of tactical adversarial encounters from which the champions of environment or development emerge as winners or losers.

The concept of sustainable development calls for a different approach in which sectors which have traditionally treated each other as opponents work together to achieve mutually acceptable and enduring outcomes. A wide range of societal goals can be met by integrating social and environmental systems through regional scale multiple use planning.

This paper discusses the broad applicability of multiple use management approaches through internationally accepted models and by the example of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

The paper outlines the complementary responsibilities of the Australian Nature Conservation Agency (ANCA), the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and other Commonwealth agencies and the scope for them to work with the Petroleum and other industries to develop sustainable multiple use solutions to complex resource use and conservation issues.